Crowdsourced supply chain

The word “crowdsourcing” may not have entered your technology lexicon yet, but it likely will soon. The concept is relatively simple – use the general public to perform a set of tasks or services that would ordinarily have to be undertaken by employees, or outsourced to a specific firm. The crowdsourcing concept has made major waves in the charity world, where fundraising targets can be achieved by soliciting a faceless (and mostly online) community to tackle tasks that need not be micromanaged. But more and more, the concept is seeping into the transportation and logistics world. For instance, in mid-2013, Walmart executives told Reuters they were considering a concept for crowdsourcing last-mile delivery ...